The present invention relates to an integrated circuit antenna structure for use in receiving, transmitting, and/or transceiving millimeter waves. In particular, the present invention relates to a three-dimensional integrated circuit antenna structure.
Arrays of millimeter- (mm-) wave antennas have application to a number of imaging systems including security, robotic vision, and imaging through smoke or weather related obscurants. More recently, monolithic arrays of mm-wave antennas have been explored for use in these applications due to the simplicity of their fabrication on a single substrate.
However, monolithic mm-wave antenna arrays developed to date suffer from the problem of strong coupling of the mm-wave antennae to the dielectric substrate upon which they are formed as well as a closely spaced groundplane. This substrate coupling leads to poor efficiency in the mm-wave antennae. Poor efficiency of the mm-wave antennae results in poor imaging when the mm-wave antenna array is used in a passive mode. To improve imaging, a mm-wave illumination source can be used to increase the quantity of received mm-wave radiation. The use of a mm-wave illumination source is either not feasible or is undesirable in many applications, especially military applications.
The substrate coupling also leads to significant cross talk problems between mm-wave antennae within an array. This cross talk reduces image fidelity, thereby requiring improved signal processing of the resultant antenna signals. Alternatively, the spacing between adjacent mm-wave antennae within an array must be increased. However, increasing the spacing between adjacent mm-wave antennae reduces image resolution, which is undesirable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated circuit antenna array with significantly reduced substrate coupling. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an integrated circuit antenna array that can be produced at low cost using standard silicon fabrication techniques.
In a first embodiment, the present invention includes a single integrated circuit antenna for receiving, transmitting, or transceiving electromagnetic radiation. The first embodiment includes a first substrate having at least one first electrical lead formed on a surface thereof. The first embodiment also includes a second substrate having an antenna for receiving, transmitting, or transceiving electromagnetic radiation formed on a surface thereof and at least one second electrical lead. One end of the at least one second electrical lead is electrically connected to the antenna, while a second end of the at least one second electrical lead is positioned adjacent to an edge of the second substrate. The second substrate is disposed with respect to the first surface of the first substrate such that the at least one first electrical lead is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the second electrical lead.
In a second embodiment, the present invention includes a plurality of integrated circuit antennae for receiving, transmitting, or transceiving electromagnetic radiation. The second embodiment includes a first substrate having a plurality of first electrical leads formed on a surface thereof. The second embodiment also includes at least one secondary substrate having at least one antenna for receiving, transmitting, or transceiving electromagnetic radiation formed on a surface thereof and a corresponding at least one second electrical lead for each antenna formed thereon. One end of each of the at least one second electrical lead is electrically connected to a corresponding antenna, while a second end of the at least one second electrical lead is positioned adjacent to an edge of a corresponding second substrate. Each of the at least one secondary substrate is disposed with respect to the first surface of the first substrate such that each of the ends of the plurality of first electrical leads is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the second electrical leads.